Three-Dimensional Multi-Target Tracking Using Dual-Orthogonal Baseline Interferometric Radar

Multi-target tracking (MTT) generally needs either a Doppler radar network with spatially separated receivers or a single radar equipped with costly phased array antennas. However, Doppler radar networks have high computational complexity, attributed to the multiple receivers in the network. Moreover, array signal processing techniques for phased array radar also increase the computational burden on the processing unit. To resolve this issue, this paper investigates the problem of the detection and tracking of multiple targets in a three-dimensional (3D) Cartesian space based on range and 3D velocity measurements extracted from dual-orthogonal baseline interferometric radar. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, a nonlinear 3D velocity measurement function, defining the relationship between the state of the target and 3D velocity measurements, is derived. Based on this measurement function, the design of the proposed algorithm includes the global nearest neighbor (GNN) technique for data association, an interacting multiple model estimator with a square-root cubature Kalman filter (IMM-SCKF) for state estimation, and a rule-based M/N logic for track management. Second, Monte Carlo simulation results for different multi-target scenarios are presented to demonstrate the performance of the algorithm in terms of track accuracy, computational complexity, and IMM mean model probabilities.